External rendering
Whole houses, single elevations, extensions and new builds. Silicone thin-coat, monocouche or traditional sand and cement, built up properly over a wall that has been prepared first.
- Full house render
- Silicone render
- Monocouche
- Render over pebbledash
- New build render
- Gables & chimneys
The three systems we fit
Each one suits a different wall and a different budget. We will tell you which we think is right for yours and why.
Silicone thin-coat
- Through-coloured, no painting
- Breathable and flexible
- Sheds dirt and rain
- Wide colour range
- Basecoat and mesh underneath
- Smooth or lightly textured
Monocouche
- One-coat through-colour
- Applied in two passes and scraped
- Traditional textured look
- No repainting needed
- Good on new build blockwork
- Bell cast and beading detailed in
Sand & cement
- Traditional and hard wearing
- Cost effective on larger elevations
- Painted after curing
- Suits repairs and matching in
- Float or sponge finish
- Strong on solid older walls
Rendering over pebbledash
Half the housing stock round here has pebbledash on it and most people want rid. The good news is you rarely have to hack it all off.
Where the dash is sound and well stuck down, we level it with a basecoat, bed a reinforcing mesh across the whole elevation and finish in a smooth through-coloured render. The stones disappear and the house reads as a modern rendered property.
Where it is blown or hollow, it comes off first. We tap the whole wall before we quote so you know which of those two jobs you are buying.
New builds and extensions
Rendered panels between brick, full rendered gables, garage conversions and rear extensions that need to look like they were always there.
New blockwork moves as it dries, so the detailing matters — movement beads in the right places, mesh across every opening corner, and stop beads that give a clean line where render meets brick or stone.
We are used to working to a builder's programme and fitting in around the trades either side of us.
How a job runs
Same order every time, whether it is one gable or a whole detached.
- Site visit and fixed priceWe measure up, tap-test the walls, talk through systems and colours, and put a written price in front of you with the scaffold included.
- Scaffold upA full working platform across every elevation being rendered. No towers, no ladders, no visible joins from working in sections.
- Prep and protectionHollow render cut out, walls cleaned down, windows, doors, drives and planting masked and sheeted.
- Beads and basecoatBell cast, stop and movement beads set true, then the basecoat with reinforcing mesh bedded through it.
- Topcoat and finishThe through-coloured or float finish applied across the full elevation in one go so there are no shade lines.
- Clean down and walk roundScaffold struck, everything washed off, and a walk round together before we ask you for anything.
Colours and finishes
Through-coloured systems come in everything from bright whites and soft off-whites through to sands, greys and darker shades. Around Wakefield most people land on a white, an off-white or a mid grey against black or anthracite windows.
We bring sample boards to site so you can hold the colour against your own brick, stone and frames in daylight. Screens lie; a board on the wall does not.
Rendering questions
Which render system is best for my house?
It depends on the wall. Solid stone and older brick usually want something breathable, which points towards a silicone or mineral thin-coat system. A sound modern cavity wall will take almost anything.
We look at the construction, the exposure and what you want it to look like, then recommend one rather than selling you the dearest option on the shelf.
Is monocouche the same as silicone render?
No. Monocouche is a thicker one-coat through-coloured render applied in two passes and then scraped back, giving a slightly textured traditional look.
Silicone thin-coat goes on over a basecoat and mesh, sits thinner, and is more flexible. Both are through-coloured so neither needs painting.
Can you render just one wall?
Yes, and it is a common job on gable ends and rear extensions. Be aware that a single freshly rendered elevation will stand out against the others until they weather in.
If you are thinking of doing the rest later, tell us now and we will record the exact system and colour so it matches when you come back to it.
Do you take the old render off first?
Only where it needs to come off. Sound, well-adhered render can often be levelled and overcoated, which keeps the cost down.
Anything hollow, blown or cracked through has to be removed back to a solid substrate. We tap-test before quoting so the price reflects what is actually there.
What happens to my windows, doors and drive?
Everything gets masked and sheeted before a trowel goes near the wall — windows, doors, sills, paving, drives and any planting we can protect.
We clean down and clear up at the end of each day rather than leaving it all to the last one.
How much mess is there?
Removing old render is the dusty part. Applying new render is not especially messy, but there is always some splash, which is why we sheet up.
You can stay in the house throughout. You will need to keep windows shut on the elevation being worked on.
Do you work through winter?
Yes, but with limits. Most render systems should not be applied below about five degrees or into a coming frost, and rain within the first day or so can mark a fresh finish.
We watch the forecast and would rather stand a day down than put a coat on that will not cure properly.
Can you match render that is already on the house?
Usually. Matching an existing colour and texture exactly is harder than people expect, especially where the original has weathered for years.
We will be straight with you about how close we can get before you commit, rather than promising an invisible repair and hoping.
Price up your rendering
Tell us the property type and which walls you are thinking about. Photos of each elevation help us give you a useful ballpark before we visit.